Mid-west Energy Research Consortium: Opens office on UW-Madison campus

CONTACT: Joshua Morby
414.791.9120
jmorby@m-werc.org

[Madison] – With more than 90 members, partners, and supporters, the Midwest Energy Research Consortium (M-WERC) is excited to announce an expanded presence with a new office at the Grainger Institute for Engineering on the UW-Madison campus.

“This partnership will more closely align M-WERC and our members to the premier research institution in the University of Wisconsin System and represents another significant step in reaching across the Midwest to foster industrial collaboration and realize our goal of more quickly transitioning technology innovation into economic growth and job creation in the Energy Power and Controls (EPC) sector,” said M-WERC CEO and Executive Director Alan Perlstein.

The office will be a collaboration staffed with Bruce Beihoff, GIE’s Technical Director of Industrial and Systems Research; and Dan Ebert, who joins the M-WERC team as the Managing Director of the Madison office. Beihoff will also continue to serve in his leadership role for M-WERC’s TI 2.0 technology innovation program.

Beihoff has more than 35 years of engineering and research experience in many primary industries for some of the largest enterprises within these Industries including Rockwell Automation, EATON Corp, and Whirlpool Corp, where he led a global pool of industrial researchers and scientists from technical centers located in North and South America, as well as in regions of Europe and Asia. During these 35 years of engineering, technology development, and R&D management, Beihoff was awarded 44 patents, and seven major technical achievement / innovation awards. He was a key contributor in engineering and research supporting the new facility construction and capability expansion of the Wisconsin Energy Institute of the UW-Madison. Currently, he is the leader of M-WERC’s Technology Innovation committee overseeing cooperative research efforts between industry and academic partners.

Ebert operates a consulting firm based in Madison and brings more than 25 years of experience in utility, management, and regulatory and policy development. He helps clients navigate the dramatically changing energy landscape in Wisconsin and the Midwest.

“We’re excited about the addition of Dan to our team,” said Perlstein. “We look forward to his role supporting our regional expansion, connecting with energy power and control companies in the Madison area and around the Midwest, and helping strengthen our partnership with two key M-WERC partners in research activities — UW- Madison and the Grainger Institute for Engineering.”

Ebert’s experience includes time as the Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and External Relations for WPPI Energy. He was responsible for managing oversight of regional energy markets, legislative, and regulatory relations in the Midwest and nationally, and corporate communications for the Sun Prairie based electric utility serving 51 municipal members in three states.

From 2003-2008 he served on the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC) — serving as its Chairman from 2005-2008. The PSC is the independent regulatory agency responsible for the regulation of Wisconsin utilities.

Prior to that, during a 15-year career in Washington, D.C., Ebert served in many public and private sector policy roles including both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, ultimately serving as the Legislative Director for Senator Maria Cantwell.